The Akron City Council Planning Committee reviewed two tax-increment financing (TIF) ordinances affecting downtown redevelopment projects—the 159 South Main development and the Bowery development—and moved both items to the consent agenda for approval.

Clerk Sarah Viviano read item 10 as an ordinance declaring improvements at 159 South Main to be a public purpose, exempting them from real property taxation and providing for collection of service payments in lieu of taxes and deposit to the appropriate fund, and for payment of a portion of those service payments to the Akron Public School District "pursuant to Ohio Revised Code sections 5709.41 to 5709.43," the clerk said.

"We have two pieces of TIF legislation today," Mr. Villeman told the committee. "The ones that we're applying for this year is the 159 South Main Street law building development and the Bowery development. You apply once all of the improvements are showing on the tax rolls, and this is the year in which both of those will be." He characterized both projects as previously agreed development agreements reached before the COVID period and said staff is finalizing the remaining steps.

Committee members asked no substantive follow-up questions. A motion and second were made to place the TIF ordinances on the consent agenda, and the committee approved them by voice vote.

The ordinances cite Ohio Revised Code sections 5709.41–5709.43, and they establish the process for collecting service payments in lieu of taxes and for directing a portion of those payments to Akron Public Schools. The committee did not take a final adoption vote in this meeting; the items were placed on the consent agenda and will follow the city's normal legislative processing.